Read Tuesday (Timeless Series #2) for Free Online Page B

She hardly ever wore shorts because she was self-conscious about her legs. I didn’t see why because they were absolutely gorgeous.
    Wedding magazines were spread out around them, and they were cutting pictures out and laying them on the coffee table. There were pictures of flowers and wedding dresses. It looked like a kindergarten classroom.
    When Francesca looked up, she noticed me. “Hey, Hawke.” She said it with a pleasant tone, and it didn’t sound like she was being fake.
    “Hey, Francesca.” It didn’t feel right calling her that. I automatically wanted to call her by her nickname but I had no right to.
    “You guys ready for dinner?” Marie asked. “I made spaghetti and meatballs.”
    “Yes!” Axel clapped his hands in excitement. “Being married is awesome.”
    “You aren’t married yet,” Francesca said sarcastically.
    “Same difference,” Axel said. “We already live together.”
    Marie gave him an affectionate smile before she got up. “I just need to set the table and everything will be ready.”
    “Need help, baby?” Axel asked.
    “Nope,” Marie said from the kitchen.
    “You want a beer?” Axel asked.
    “Sure,” I answered.
    “Blue Moon or Dos Equis?”
    “Doesn’t matter.”
    “Coming right up.” He walked into the kitchen and his voice carried into the living room. “Baby, you’re looking fine today.”
    “Thanks,” Marie said. It sounded like they were kissing because she said, “Not now, Axel. Your sister is in the other room.”
    “Like I give a damn,” he snapped.
    My beer was going to take a while.
    Francesca put down the magazines. “How are you?” Her question seemed sincere. She looked me in the eye and everything.
    “Good. You?”
    “Great. Planning a wedding is fun. Now I know everything I want for mine.”
    The idea of her getting married made me sick. Acid built up in my stomach and it made me want to hurl. I did my best to hide my reaction and not vomit all over the hardwood floor. “Saves you time…”
    She stood up and pulled her hair over one shoulder. “I’m glad you’re here.”
    “You are?” I couldn’t hide the surprise in my tone.
    “Yeah.” She slowly came closer to me and crossed her arms over her chest. The hostile look from earlier that week was gone. She didn’t give me a look of fondness, but it wasn’t full of hatred either. “I wanted to talk to you about last week. I thought about everything I said and…I apologize.”
    What was she apologizing for?
    “I was really harsh and said a lot of mean things…that I didn’t care about you. That’s not true, Hawke. I’m sure you know that.”
    My heart fluttered.
    “I guess seeing you again just threw me off balance. I thought I was going to be okay with it, but then I was around you and…everything came flooding back. I’ve had enough time to move on and come to terms with our break up but…I just wasn’t ready for that. I was very ugly and mean… I’m sorry.”
    “You don’t need to apologize. You had every right to be upset. You’ve never had a chance to tell me how you felt…”
    “But it doesn’t matter. That was in the past, and we’ve both moved on. There’s no reason to hold on to hate when life is so short. While we weren’t together very long, I really was happy. And I did love you.”
    My heart stopped beating.
    “There’s no reason why we can’t be friends—real friends. If we really loved each other, we should be able to move on and be mature about it. I’m over you and you’re over me. I guess it’ll be weird in the beginning, but it’ll go back to normal. If our best friends are married to each other, it’ll make our lives easier to get along.”
    She was over me?
    I knew she was but it hurt to hear her say it out loud. There was no possibility of misinterpretation. Right now, she was calm and understanding. She meant every word she said. She wasn’t lying out of hurt or disappointment.
    She was truly over me.
    And she thought I was over